With aid from the Marshall County Sheriff, the Marshalltown Police Department arrested 16 people in Grinnell last Friday under forgery and identification theft charges.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokeperson Greg Palmore said that ICE provided expertise, “assistance and administration processing,” to local police but did not initiate the investigation.

Warrants had been prepared for 26 people from Marshalltown who were contracted by Manpower, Inc. to work at the Monsanto Seed Co. in Grinnell.  There is no official word on the missing 10 individuals.

Prior to accepting the Manpower employees for a temporary project, a Monsanto spokeperson said  the seed company “insisted that we would only accept employees that were properly documented.”

Hispanic Ministries at St. Mary’s Church of Marshalltown has a list of all who are being held.  Family members are still seeking legal representation for many of the 16 who were arrested.